Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics - Coordinated Program

English

Mission

The mission of the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at USEK is to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and diverse communities locally and globally through leadership and excellence in nutrition and dietetics education, research, practice and service. In addition, the program is dedicated to prepare graduates to become global citizens, ethical leaders and decision makers.

Program Educational Objectives

1. Prepare graduates to be competent entry –level dietitians
2. Grow their ability to translate research into practice through... effective programs and valuable information dissemination
3. Strongly engage in current nutrition and health issues affecting the national and global communities

Program Outcomes

a. Maintain up-to-date knowledge and synthesize approaches related to contemporary and emerging nutrition issues
b. Develop personal characteristics such as leadership and ability to work in multidisciplinary teams
c. Act ethically with accountability for life-long learning and commitment to excellence
d. Apply the knowledge of food and nutrition in disease management process
e. Apply the knowledge of basic sciences and statistics
f. Develop effective counseling techniques needed in the clinical dietetic practice and assessing their outcomes
g. Interpret and apply nutrition concepts to evaluate and improve the health of communities
h. Conduct research using appropriate measures and methods
i. Communicate effectively

This course examines in detail the various stages of clinical nutrition consultation. It allows students to improve their clinical approach towards the patient. It covers all parts of an ideal model of clinical nutrition consultation. Moreover, this course teaches the students how to deal with food in a positive way, to control the weight as well as to prevent health problems.

This lab helps the students translating the nutrition counseling theories and techniques into practices on different types of patients. It introduces the students to the practical recommendations related to different types of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, etc.

This course focuses on the nutrition and food patterns of individuals and cluster of individuals constituting a community. It includes specificity of models of food consumption in different communities in the world .this course highpoints differences in socio-economic, cultural and psychological factors which impacts on the individual’s and the community’s food consumption and emphasizes on elaborating evaluation programs and planning nutritional interventions.

This course is designed to provide students with key concepts, current issues, researches and new trends that are pertinent to professionals working in nutrition, dietetics and food sciences field.
This seminar course is given by invited national and international key-speakers.

This course aims at helping students enhance their research and communication skills in dietetic topics. Practice researching and using credible sources in keeping up to date with most recent Nutrition Guidelines and Protocols.

This course enables students to learn about the psychology of human beings in their relationship with food. It also sensitizes the psychopathological dimension and different eating disorders. It deals with basic psychological concepts, different psychological approaches, relationship between psychology / nutrition and it also includes an overview concerning the concept of weight, body image and body schema. This course offers to the future dietitians some tips keys and techniques essential to their future practice. It is intended to provide accurate and useful information with regard to the subject matter covered.

Overview of Dietitians’ code of ethics and the route to becoming an RD (Registered Dietitian) within the United States. Discovering and practicing the Scope of Dietetics Practice as per the Nutrition Care Process (NCP) within multidisciplinary teams or hospital settings. Translating theory into practice using proper scientific and credible information. Practice how to behave professionally as part of a medical team.

This food processing course is considered as a scientific and technological activity covering the major food processes in the industry. It involves the application of scientific principles in industries in order to produce convenient products for the market while preventing spoilage. This course gives the students the opportunity to discover conventional and new techniques used for processing and preservation of food materials. In addition, a nutritional and sensory evaluation of food will be discussed.

This course aims to introduce students to the different types of food service organizations and to guide them throughout the concept research and development process. It also offers the students the ability to closely look into menu planning, and the design, analysis and understanding of the different service operations including purchasing, receiving, storage, inventory, production, and service. Finally, it provides them with the necessary information in order to manage operational functions in food service: financial management, human resources and marketing.

Discover the main principles of management and administrative tasks within different hospital departments. Learn the principles of accounting, management and human resources and how they can be applied within the dietetic department.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of human physiological needs and outlines the various parameters of the energy equation. The metabolism and impact on health of certain food substances will be developed (carbohydrates, lipids and alcohol­including essential fatty acids and their derivatives). Body composition and its evaluation methods will be explored. Muscle activity will be addressed in the physiological dimension, nutritional (energy systems, use of substrates), benefits (cardiovascular and others), etc. The Recommended Dietary Allowances will also be discussed.

This course emphasizes on metabolic, biochemical and physiological processes related to nutrition. It focuses on the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract and its function with respect to digestion and absorption. This course will address the interrelationships among the metabolic pathways that are common to the macronutrients, fluid and electrolyte balance as well as the macronutrients’ exchange system.

Genetic diseases of the metabolism are hereditary diseases resulting from a lack of activity or absence of a specific enzyme. Treatments could be the well renowned nutritional therapy. This course intends to study physiopathology of each of the metabolic diseases as well as their specific nutritional treatment.

This course covers the nutritional strategies in situations of aggression and various diseases that may benefit from nutritional support such as lung diseases, neurological diseases, cancer, inborn errors of metabolism It aims to convey to students the basic pathophysiology of these diseases, their impact on nutritional status and nutritional value of measurements.

This lab targets the acquisition of the medical terminology, estimation of energy needs of patients and diet composition as well as an overview of the new international Exchange System. Furthermore, it handles case studies in which special diets and recommendations are necessary for the following situations or pathologies: pulmonary diseases, cancer, AIDS etc.…

This course will allow students to understand in detail the nutritional aspects of disease and its effect on the body, as well as the role of nutrition in the etiology, prevention and treatment of the following non­communicable conditions: weight management, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and renal diseases.

This course will allow students to understand in detail the nutritional aspects of disease and its effect on the body, as well as the role of nutrition in the etiology, prevention and treatment of the following non­communicable conditions: weight management, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and renal diseases.

This course focuses on the medical nutrition therapy of several pathologies affected by nutrition. Bone diseases (osteoporosis, osteomalacia), allergies and food intolerances (celiac disease), anemia and other hematologic diseases that affect or are affected by nutrition, as well as digestive disorders (intestinal, pancreatic, and hepatic) will be discussed. In addition, a physiological, pathological, semiology and diagnostic overview will be presented.

Discover and be able to design different types of menus: Cyclic, static, selective, semi-selective, etc. Explore the Lebanese traditional cuisine and mostly consumed international dishes. Be able to translate it for client nutrition education with regards to dietary guidelines and exchange lists.

Students will study the anatomical structures of the animal body as arranged into systems and they will correlate forms with functions performed, under specific laws and principles in an overall homeostatic setup. The course covers a range of topics where students will gain a general understanding of the organic structures and functions of the body systems and the coherence between organs of the body. They will also learn about homeostasis and steady state of the human body, as well as the overall laws and principles that rule body functions.

The course describes the structure and function of the digestive, endocrine and reproductive systems. It also gives a clear idea of fluid and acid balance taking place in the human body, as well as energy balance and temperature regulation.

This course covers nutrition issues from preconception throughout life, with a particular emphasis on nutrition correlates of pregnancy, normal growth and development, infant and child nutrition, adolescent and elderly nutrition. It considers the role of nutrition in the context of the normal physiologic changes that occur with aging. This course will also focus on vegetarianism and its positive and negative aspects on health.

This course enables students to understand the basic mechanisms of the genesis of these diseases and their clinical manifestations. It covers the definition of the pathophysiology, the concept of "nutritional diseases”. This course allows the students to understand the signs and symptoms and clinical aspects of various diseases such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular problems and other.

This course covers the general pharmacology and specific Pharmacology. It introduces the students to the fundamental concepts, and to the usage of various drugs in the treatment of different diseases. Moreover, this course deals with different therapeutic classes of drugs that are frequently prescribed by physicians, and those that have been lately introduced into the drugs market involving preventive measures and practical and useful notices, such as impact of special food on some effects of drugs.

This course gives students the opportunity to understand nutritional public health, in addition to the tasks of nutrition professionals and the programs used to promote nutritional public health in the community. The course deals with public health problems with emphasis on alimentation and primary prevention of these problems by nutrition. It also shows the different types of foods linked to public health, together with the global strategies of preventive nutrition at an international level, adopted by the Organization of the United Nations.

This course examines the interactions between nutrients and drugs. It includes the basic concepts essential for understanding the interactions, and the specific interaction between nutrients and drugs most frequently prescribed in different pathologies. It also presents the influences of nutrients on the pharmacokinetics of drugs and their effects, and those drugs on weight, metabolism, and minerals. The course also treats equally the particular interactions between nutrients and drugs, especially in children, pregnant women or nursing mothers and the elderly. The course also includes a research project with a report on a theme that is consistent with the concept of the course, and a brief oral presentation of the topic. This course is based on fundamental concepts and provides the students with useful recommendations that will apply in practice.

This courses analyzes different activities related to food consumption in a certain society. It allows the students to evaluate certain food consumption situations in order to examine the consumer’s reaction and behavior according to the economic theory.

This course tackles the type of nutrition related to sports activities with a practical side concerning each person. It covers the nutritional status of the athlete, his anthropometric measurements, energy needs in macro and micro nutrients. Furthermore, this courses includes the nutritional preparation before the exercise and after the exercise for recovery.